Edward Lynch
Encyclopedia
Edward Francis Lynch was a private in the First Australian Imperial Force
who saw action in World War I
on the Western Front
between 1916 and 1919. Following his return to Australia he wrote about his war experiences in the 1920s and 1930s. The work was eventually published in 2006 as a book entitled Somme Mud.
recording a Perthville, Bathurst address when he enlisted on 5 April 1916 aged 18. He sailed in August 1916 on board the ship Wiltshire in the 12th Brigade reinforcements who arrived in France in the weeks after the AIF
suffered tremendous casualties at Pozieres
.
as a runner or front line guide. He also has qualifications as a Signaller
and variously throughout the story is asked to relieve for signalling parties who suffer casualties.
Nulla first sees action at Dernancourt
in the latter months of the Battle of the Somme
. He describes support and front line service at Gueudecourt
and Delville Wood
at the time of the Battle of Morval
and the Battle of Flers-Courcelette
and surviving the horrendous 1916–17 winter in the trenches on the Somme.
Nulla's 45th Battalion was in the Fourth Division's assault on the Hindenburg Line
in the First Battle of Bullecourt
in April 1917 at Noreuil
. In the May they moved to the front in Flanders, Belgium
and they saw action on day one (10 June 1917) and throughout the Battle of Messines
. Nulla suffered shrapnel wounds in two separate incidents but stayed in the front line and saw action through the summer and autumn at Broodseinde, Ploegsteert Wood
, Wambeke, Westhoek
and Polygon Wood all theatres of the Battle of Passchendaele. During this period command of the 4th division passed to Maj. Gen. Ewen Sinclair-Maclagan, who inspected Nulla and his mates during the Passchendaele campaign.
On 1 October 1917 at Broodseinde Ridge, Nulla was hit by a mortar and suffered leg injuries. He was repatriated to England for six months, returning to France in March 1918 just in time to be sent to the Somme meet the German Spring Offensive
. He saw action in and around Bailleulmont
and Millencourt
and was with the 4th Division when Australian and British troops stopped the German advance in hard fought battles at Dernancourt
on the Ancre River, retaking positions the Entente
had previously held including the very same Dernancourt trenches Nulla had occupied in 1916.
The repulse of the Spring Offensive marked the turning of the campaign on the Western Front and Nulla's 45th along with the other battalions that made up the 12th Brigade, were sent in April 1918 in support of the 13th Infantry Brigade's counterattack at the Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux
. Nulla was on the front line throughout May 1918 at Villers-Bretonneux
.
The 45th then participated in the Battle of Hamel
alongside American forces seeing their first action and then stayed around the Hamel area in July 1918. With the Germans in retreat from August in the face of the Hundred Days Offensive
, movement and progress began to quicken and the 45th and 48th Battalions pushed through Harbonnieres
.
The final activity Nulla's battalion saw was in support at the Battle of Épehy
(18 September 1918) and in the front line at the Battle of St. Quentin Canal (29 September 1918). Things quietened considerably throughout October 1918 and although the Armistice
was declared on 11 November, the 45th Battalion - at that stage fifty miles behind the front line - were not informed of the war's end until the next day.
The 4th Division stood-by throughout November and December 1918 for duties as part of the Army of Occupation
but in February they began to demobilise in order of their tenure since enlistment. Sailing from Devonport, England in May 1919, Nulla was home in Sydney in July.
he typed up the manuscript with the aim of having it published. There was insufficient interest at that time and other than some excerpts being published in the RSL magazine Reveille the story remained untold.
The nine-centimetre-thick manuscript remained with Lynch's family and in 2002 his grandson Mike Lynch brought it to the attention of military historian Will Davies who edited it and saw it through to publication by Random House in 2006. The book has become well known and has been favourably compared by Professor Bill Gammage
to All Quiet on the Western Front.
The driving theme of mateship is strong throughout the book. The actions of Nulla, Longun, Dark, Snow, Farmer, The Prof, Yacob and Jacko in looking out for each other beyond the omnipresent death and fear are consistently described. But at times Lynch also speaks directly of the meaning of mateship:
Lynch does not lament his lost youth and innocence but in fact during the narrative grows in wisdom and wit whilst evidently developing considerable skills as a professional soldier. But his disdain for the futility of war and his horror at what he witnesses is a continual theme. He often comments on the sadness of the lonely deaths of the young men laid in a land far from home and kin and poignantly quotes the Australian blind poet digger
Tom Skeyhill:
. He graduated in 1923 and was sent to Goulburn, New South Wales
to teach. That same year he married Yvonne Peters and they would have five children together. In 1939 on the outbreak of World War II
he joined the Militia. In 1942 he transferred to the regular army and became Officer Commanding the New South Wales Jungle Training School near Coffs Harbour. After the war he returned to teaching until his retirement.
First Australian Imperial Force
The First Australian Imperial Force was the main expeditionary force of the Australian Army during World War I. It was formed from 15 August 1914, following Britain's declaration of war on Germany. Generally known at the time as the AIF, it is today referred to as the 1st AIF to distinguish from...
who saw action in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
on the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
between 1916 and 1919. Following his return to Australia he wrote about his war experiences in the 1920s and 1930s. The work was eventually published in 2006 as a book entitled Somme Mud.
Pre-war
Lynch grew up and lived in Bathurst, New South WalesBathurst, New South Wales
-CBD and suburbs:Bathurst's CBD is located on William, George, Howick, Russell, and Durham Streets. The CBD is approximately 25 hectares and surrounds two city blocks. Within this block layout is banking, government services, shopping centres, retail shops, a park* and monuments...
recording a Perthville, Bathurst address when he enlisted on 5 April 1916 aged 18. He sailed in August 1916 on board the ship Wiltshire in the 12th Brigade reinforcements who arrived in France in the weeks after the AIF
AIF
AIF may refer to:*AIF , refer List of role-playing games by name*Accredited Investment Fiduciary*Adult Interactive fiction, a game genre*American India Foundation*Anti-Iraqi Forces*Apoptosis inducing factor...
suffered tremendous casualties at Pozieres
Pozières
Pozières is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:The commune is situated on the D929 road, some northeast of Amiens between Albert and Bapaume, on the Pozières ridge.-Population:-History:...
.
Unit and skills
The book's editor, military historian Will Davies asserts that the "Nulla" character is based upon Lynch himself and that Lynch used the device to try to distance himself from the story. Nulla's unit is 14 Platoon of D Company of the 45th Battalion (New South Wales) within 12th Brigade of the Australian 4th Division. Nulla's expertise during his service includes his sense of direction and ability to find his way in and around the front line which results in his recurring deployment by his Officers CommandingOfficer Commanding
The Officer Commanding is the commander of a sub-unit or minor unit , principally used in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. In other countries, the term Commanding Officer is applied to commanders of minor as well as major units.Normally an Officer Commanding is a company, squadron or battery...
as a runner or front line guide. He also has qualifications as a Signaller
Signaller
In the armed forces, a signaller or signaleer is a specialist soldier or seaman or airman responsible for military communications. Signallers, aka Combat Signallers or signalmen or women, are commonly employed as radio or telephone operators, relaying messages for field commanders at the front line...
and variously throughout the story is asked to relieve for signalling parties who suffer casualties.
Theatre of action
Dernancourt
Dernancourt is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Dernancourt is situated on the D52 road, some northeast of Amiens.-Population:-Places and monuments:...
in the latter months of the Battle of the Somme
Battle of the Somme (1916)
The Battle of the Somme , also known as the Somme Offensive, took place during the First World War between 1 July and 14 November 1916 in the Somme department of France, on both banks of the river of the same name...
. He describes support and front line service at Gueudecourt
Gueudecourt
Gueudecourt is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-History:During the Battle of the Somme, the town of Gueudecourt had comprised one of the most distant objectives for the British drive that opened on 15 September 1916, a drive that has come to be known as the Battle...
and Delville Wood
Delville Wood
The Battle of Delville Wood was one of the early engagements in the 1916 Battle of the Somme in the First World War. It took place between 14 July and 3 September, between the armies of the German Empire and allied British and South African forces...
at the time of the Battle of Morval
Battle of Morval
The Battle of Morval, which began on 25 September 1916, was an attack by the British Fourth Army on the German-held villages of Morval, Gueudecourt and Lesboeufs during the Battle of the Somme. These villages were originally objectives of the major British offensive of 15 September, the Battle of...
and the Battle of Flers-Courcelette
Battle of Flers-Courcelette
The Battle of Flers-Courcelette, was a battle within the Franco-British Somme Offensive which took place in the summer and autumn of 1916. Launched on the 15th of September 1916 the battle went on for one week. Flers-Courcelette began with the overall objective of cutting a hole in the German...
and surviving the horrendous 1916–17 winter in the trenches on the Somme.
Nulla's 45th Battalion was in the Fourth Division's assault on the Hindenburg Line
Hindenburg Line
The Hindenburg Line was a vast system of defences in northeastern France during World War I. It was constructed by the Germans during the winter of 1916–17. The line stretched from Lens to beyond Verdun...
in the First Battle of Bullecourt
Bullecourt
Bullecourt is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region in France.-Geography:Bullecourt lies on the Upper Cretaceous plain of Artois between Arras and Bapaume and east of the A1 motorway. This shows Bullecourt just north of centre. Quéant is the larger of the two...
in April 1917 at Noreuil
Noreuil
Noreuil is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Population:-World War One:In 1917 it was the location of fighting during World War I. In early 1917, General John Gellibrand, acting commander of the 2nd Division, advanced as he suspected that the...
. In the May they moved to the front in Flanders, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and they saw action on day one (10 June 1917) and throughout the Battle of Messines
Battle of Messines
The Battle of Messines was a battle of the Western front of the First World War. It began on 7 June 1917 when the British Second Army under the command of General Herbert Plumer launched an offensive near the village of Mesen in West Flanders, Belgium...
. Nulla suffered shrapnel wounds in two separate incidents but stayed in the front line and saw action through the summer and autumn at Broodseinde, Ploegsteert Wood
Ploegsteert Wood
Ploegsteert Wood was a sector of the Western Front in Flanders in World War I, part of the Ypres Salient. After fighting in late 1914 and early 1915, it became a quiet sector where no major action took place...
, Wambeke, Westhoek
Westhoek (region)
Westhoek or Maritime Flanders is a region in Belgium and France and includes the following areas:#Belgian Westhoek including the West Flanders arrondissements of Diksmuide, Ypres, and Veurne including the cities of Veurne, Poperinge, Wervik, Ypres, De Panne, Langemark-Poelkapelle, and Diksmuide...
and Polygon Wood all theatres of the Battle of Passchendaele. During this period command of the 4th division passed to Maj. Gen. Ewen Sinclair-Maclagan, who inspected Nulla and his mates during the Passchendaele campaign.
On 1 October 1917 at Broodseinde Ridge, Nulla was hit by a mortar and suffered leg injuries. He was repatriated to England for six months, returning to France in March 1918 just in time to be sent to the Somme meet the German Spring Offensive
Spring Offensive
The 1918 Spring Offensive or Kaiserschlacht , also known as the Ludendorff Offensive, was a series of German attacks along the Western Front during World War I, beginning on 21 March 1918, which marked the deepest advances by either side since 1914...
. He saw action in and around Bailleulmont
Bailleulmont
Bailleulmont is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:A farming village located 8 miles southwest of Arras at the junction of the D1 and D66 roads.-Population:-Places of interest:...
and Millencourt
Millencourt
Millencourt is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Millencourt is situated on the D91 road, some northeast of Amiens.-Population:-External links:*...
and was with the 4th Division when Australian and British troops stopped the German advance in hard fought battles at Dernancourt
Dernancourt
Dernancourt is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Dernancourt is situated on the D52 road, some northeast of Amiens.-Population:-Places and monuments:...
on the Ancre River, retaking positions the Entente
Allies of World War I
The Entente Powers were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I. The members of the Triple Entente were the United Kingdom, France, and the Russian Empire; Italy entered the war on their side in 1915...
had previously held including the very same Dernancourt trenches Nulla had occupied in 1916.
The repulse of the Spring Offensive marked the turning of the campaign on the Western Front and Nulla's 45th along with the other battalions that made up the 12th Brigade, were sent in April 1918 in support of the 13th Infantry Brigade's counterattack at the Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux
Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux
The Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux came during the period of the battle of Lys, 24–27 April 1918, but was launched against the British lines in front of Amiens.The Germans developed a small number of tanks, and used them in this offensive...
. Nulla was on the front line throughout May 1918 at Villers-Bretonneux
Villers-Bretonneux
Villers-Bretonneux is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Villers-Bretonneux is situated some 19 km due east of Amiens, on the D1029 road and the A29 motorway.-History - World War I:...
.
The 45th then participated in the Battle of Hamel
Battle of Hamel
The Battle of Hamel was a successful attack launched by the Australian Corps of the Australian Imperial Force and several American units against German positions in and around the town of Hamel in northern France during World War I....
alongside American forces seeing their first action and then stayed around the Hamel area in July 1918. With the Germans in retreat from August in the face of the Hundred Days Offensive
Hundred Days Offensive
The Hundred Days Offensive was the final period of the First World War, during which the Allies launched a series of offensives against the Central Powers on the Western Front from 8 August to 11 November 1918, beginning with the Battle of Amiens. The offensive forced the German armies to retreat...
, movement and progress began to quicken and the 45th and 48th Battalions pushed through Harbonnieres
Harbonnières
Harbonnières is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:The commune is situated on the D337 road, some east of Amiens.-Population:-Places of interest:...
.
The final activity Nulla's battalion saw was in support at the Battle of Épehy
Battle of Epéhy
The Battle of Épehy was a World War I battle fought on 18 September 1918, involving the British Fourth Army against German outpost positions in front of the Hindenburg Line.- Prelude :...
(18 September 1918) and in the front line at the Battle of St. Quentin Canal (29 September 1918). Things quietened considerably throughout October 1918 and although the Armistice
Armistice
An armistice is a situation in a war where the warring parties agree to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, but may be just a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace...
was declared on 11 November, the 45th Battalion - at that stage fifty miles behind the front line - were not informed of the war's end until the next day.
The 4th Division stood-by throughout November and December 1918 for duties as part of the Army of Occupation
Army of Occupation
Army of Occupation is a term for an army occupying conquered territory, and has been used for many armies in many eras including:*The Army of Occupation of the U.S...
but in February they began to demobilise in order of their tenure since enlistment. Sailing from Devonport, England in May 1919, Nulla was home in Sydney in July.
Writing and publication
Lynch wrote of his war experiences long-hand filling twenty exercise books in the late 1920s and 1930s. During his time as Commanding Officer of an Australian Jungle Training School in World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he typed up the manuscript with the aim of having it published. There was insufficient interest at that time and other than some excerpts being published in the RSL magazine Reveille the story remained untold.
The nine-centimetre-thick manuscript remained with Lynch's family and in 2002 his grandson Mike Lynch brought it to the attention of military historian Will Davies who edited it and saw it through to publication by Random House in 2006. The book has become well known and has been favourably compared by Professor Bill Gammage
Bill Gammage
William Leonard "Bill" Gammage AM is an Australian academic historian, Adjunct Professor and Senior Research Fellow at the Humanities Research Centre of Australian National University....
to All Quiet on the Western Front.
The driving theme of mateship is strong throughout the book. The actions of Nulla, Longun, Dark, Snow, Farmer, The Prof, Yacob and Jacko in looking out for each other beyond the omnipresent death and fear are consistently described. But at times Lynch also speaks directly of the meaning of mateship:
Lynch does not lament his lost youth and innocence but in fact during the narrative grows in wisdom and wit whilst evidently developing considerable skills as a professional soldier. But his disdain for the futility of war and his horror at what he witnesses is a continual theme. He often comments on the sadness of the lonely deaths of the young men laid in a land far from home and kin and poignantly quotes the Australian blind poet digger
Digger (soldier)
Digger is an Australian and New Zealand military slang term for soldiers from Australia and New Zealand. It originated during World War I.- Origin :...
Tom Skeyhill:
Life after World War I
In 1921 Lynch enrolled at the Sydney Teachers CollegeSydney Teachers College
The Sydney Teachers College was a tertiary education institution that trained school teachers in Sydney, Australia. It existed from 1906 until 1981, when it became a part of the Sydney Institute of Education which in turn joined the Faculty of Education at the University of Sydney in...
. He graduated in 1923 and was sent to Goulburn, New South Wales
Goulburn, New South Wales
Goulburn is a provincial city in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia in Goulburn Mulwaree Council Local Government Area. It is located south-west of Sydney on the Hume Highway and above sea-level. On Census night 2006, Goulburn had a population of 20,127 people...
to teach. That same year he married Yvonne Peters and they would have five children together. In 1939 on the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he joined the Militia. In 1942 he transferred to the regular army and became Officer Commanding the New South Wales Jungle Training School near Coffs Harbour. After the war he returned to teaching until his retirement.